Conventionally, there are tape printers which produce original index labels to be pasted on audio or video cassettes or original name labels to be pasted on our various belongings.
These tape printers each print document data, which were created, using a document creating function, lengthwise on a tape with a printing head which has a plurality of heat producing elements arranged across the tape. The printed tape is discharged through a tape exit to the outside of the printer and cut by a manually or automatically driven cutter disposed between the printing head and the tape exit to produce a label.
Some conventional tape printers each have a so-called an enlarged-label printing function which prints on a tape an enlarged-character string whose height exceeds the width of the tape to produce a label having a width larger than the tape width.
This enlarged-label printing includes printing a plurality of character string portions, into which an enlarged character string is divided by the tape width through the height of the characters, on a corresponding plurality of labels each of which is a tape section.
By arranging the plurality of labels, on which the respective enlarged-character string portions are printed, in predetermined order in the direction of width of the labels, an enlarged-label on which the enlarged-character string is printed is obtained.
When the enlargement magnification of a character string increases and the number of labels on which the divided enlarged character string portions are printed increase in the tape printer having the enlarged-label printing function, it is considerably difficult to know positions in an enlarged label where the individual labels on which divided enlarged character string portions are printed are disposed.
In addition, it is also considerably difficult to align the plurality of printed labels so that the divided enlarged-character string portions do not deviate one from the other even when the positions in the enlarged label where the individual labels on which the divided enlarged-character string portions are printed are known.
In the conventional tape printer having the enlarged-label printing function, a plurality of labels which constitute one enlarged label are printed successively. When an unused tape set in the printing unit of the printer fails during printing of the divided enlarged character labels and the cassette needs to be replaced, printing of one label which constitute a part of the whole enlarged label is unsuccessful. As a result, each and every one of the plurality of labels which constitute the whole enlarged label must be reprinted, which produces a waste of the tape.
Also, even when only one of the plurality of labels which constitute the whole enlarged label is damaged, all of the plurality of labels must be reprinted.